Growth Dependency in the Welfare State – an Analysis of Drivers in the Uk's Adult Social Care Sector and Proposals for Change

Modern economies rely on economic growth for stability and for prosperity; however, 50 years of research indicates that this state of dependency is ecologically unsustainable. Moreover, periods of stagnation and recession are currently associated with poor health and wellbeing outcomes for citizens. It is therefore critical that we better understand the growth dependency of our economies and welfare systems, and how to overcome it. In this paper we offer a working definition of growth dependency, clarifying its core dimensions. Next, taking the UK’s adult social care sector as a case study, we argue that growth dependencies in the welfare state emerge as a result of the pursuit of specific economic ends under certain socio-economic conditions. These ends are as follows: the pursuit of needs satisfaction for all; the pursuit of labour productivity growth; and the pursuit of economic rents. Lastly, we propose a novel, sector-led framework for identifying, analysing and transforming growth dependencies. We make the case that the growth dependency of the welfare state is not inevitable, but is instead the product of specific social, economic and structural factors that can be disrupted and transformed, if we can find the political will to do so